13. Cumulonimbus
• Tower high into the sky
• gray to black
• Thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes
• anvil shaped
14. How can rising air pressure lead
to a prediction about weather?
15. Air Mass
• A large body of air that has the same
temperature and humidity throughout
• take on the characteristics of the region over
which they form
• 4 types in the the USA
16. Air Masses
– Categorized by moisture content and temperature
– Moisture categories: m = maritime (wet) and c =
continental (dry)
– Temperature categories: P (polar; cold), T
(Tropical; warm)
22. Front
• Border where two air masses meet
• most weather changes occur along a front
• cold front = cold air mass moves under a
warm air mass creating cumulonimbus
clouds
• warm front = a warm air mass moves over a
cold air mass forming stratus clouds
24. Climate
• The regular weather pattern for a region
• precipitation & temperature determine
climate
• seasonal patterns
• all patterns are driven by the sun
• proximity to the equator determines
temperature patterns
25. ?????
• What is the cause of the seasons?
• What are two major factors of climate?
• What kind of climate would you find near
the equator?
• What kind of climate would you find at the
poles?